Something to Come Home To
by Jessica237
Summary: [EC] Set in postseason four. 'I knew the only way I could keep that promise was if I knew that I had something to come home to.'


**A/N:** Post-season four (yes, another one, lol). Contains spoilers for late season four, as well as possible spoilers for early season five. And I swear I tried not to be so wordy with this one. I don't exactly think that worked out though, lol.

* * *

"Right, nine o'clock. Yeah, I know," Eric said. He ran his free hand through his hair, listening to the person on the other end of the phone reply. He nodded in response to something, only vaguely noting that the other person couldn't see him. "Listen, H," he interrupted, "I don't want to miss the flight, so--" he closed his eyes as Horatio interrupted, finishing Eric's sentence for him. He'd gotten used to that over the years, but at this point, that trait of Horatio's was really starting to annoy him. 

He looked at his watch, once again reassuring Horatio that he wouldn't be late. "Okay, yeah. I'll see you in the morning," he said before closing his phone. As he sat in his car, Eric knew he should be doing exactly what he'd told Horatio he was going to do. He should have been going home; finishing up his packing and getting some sleep. But he also knew it'd be awhile before he actually made it home.

Starting the car and pulling out of the parking lot, Eric turned in the opposite direction to his place. He and Horatio had agreed to keep the details of this trip quiet, and therefore, the only people Eric had said anything to had been his parents. And that hadn't turned out so well.

There was one person that he had to say goodbye to. After all, he didn't know what would happen in Brazil, and in the off-chance that he didn't come home, Eric knew he couldn't live with himself if he didn't tell her goodbye.

-----

Setting her hairdryer down, Calleigh tilted her head slightly, hearing a noise from toward the front of her apartment. It sounded like a knock at her door, but she dismissed that idea, looking at the clock in the corner and seeing just how late it was. She ignored the sound for the moment, intent on just going to bed.

The sound persisted, however, and Calleigh sighed, realizing that it was indeed a knock at her door. She pulled her pale pink robe tight around her, tying the belt around the middle as she made her way through the apartment. Stifling a yawn, she unlocked the front door and pulled it open, feeling fully prepared to yell at whoever was showing up at her door this close to midnight. But any annoyance she had suddenly disappeared as her visitor was revealed. "Eric?"

Eric smiled slightly before looking down, lightly shuffling his feet. "Hey, Cal."

Calleigh raised an eyebrow. He'd been in front of her for all of ten seconds, and already she could tell something was up. Eric seemed nervous; so unlike him. "What are you doing here?" she asked, somewhat confused.

Eric sighed. "I'm sorry, Calleigh; it's late, I probably shouldn't have shown up just like this."

Calleigh shook her head. "Don't worry about it, Eric. What's going on?" She opened her door wider, but Eric made no move to enter. "Are you okay?" she asked cautiously.

Finally making eye contact with her, Eric shrugged. "Can I come in?" he asked quietly, feeling the need to ask even though Calleigh had already pretty much beckoned him inside.

"Yeah, of course, Eric," she said, looking at him as though his asking was absurd. Calleigh couldn't count the number of times he'd been in her apartment; she'd even once considered giving him a key because at one point, it was almost as though he was living there. She watched him carefully as he stepped past her, moving to a spot near the wall. "Do you want something to eat?" she asked, closing the door. "Or something to drink?"

Eric simply shook his head, closely studying an object on one of Calleigh's shelves to avoid looking at her.

Calleigh blinked. "Okay, do you want to sit down?" She was beginning to feel more than a little concerned; she knew he had a right to act different given recent events, but this was too much. This was a completely different Eric than she'd ever known. "Eric?" she said softly, taking a step toward him.

"I heard you're acting as lieutenant while we're gone."

Calleigh didn't speak for a moment, having not expected that. It was as though Eric wasn't even hearing her. "Yeah, Horatio told me officially the other day," she replied slowly. "I don't know--" she stopped abruptly, having just completely processed Eric's statement. "Wait, Eric. Who's 'we'?"

Eric looked at her strangely. "What exactly did Horatio tell you?" he asked, ignoring her question.

"Just that he was taking a leave of absence and that I was in charge until he came back. I didn't question him; I mean, with everything that's happened recently, I figured he needed the time off." She fixed Eric with a demanding gaze, crossing her arms. "That's not exactly true, is it?" she asked quietly.

Eric let out a breath, shaking his head. "I thought he told you. Especially since you're in charge for the time being; I figured you'd be one of the people who needed to know."

"Eric, what are you talking about?"

He gave her a long look. "Horatio and I are going to Brazil," Eric admitted finally.

"Brazil," Calleigh repeated softly, mentally connecting the dots. "Marisol's killer?"

Eric nodded. "This is something we need to do. Something I need to do. For Marisol."

Calleigh looked away, trying to understand. Trying to avenge Marisol's death; it was something she could vaguely see Eric doing, but not Horatio. It seemed too rash a decision; too sudden. It wasn't something she could see Horatio even attempting, especially with all the laws he'd inevitably be breaking in the process. And all that, for revenge? It just wasn't Horatio. And he was letting Eric go along with him. Possibly putting both their careers and both their lives on the line. It wasn't Horatio. It wasn't Eric.

It suddenly hit Calleigh. In that moment, she realized just how far their tightly woven team had drifted from each other since Speed's death. In losing one friend, they'd lost each other. Calleigh didn't even know Horatio anymore, and Eric was well on the way to becoming a stranger to her as well. That was the last thing she wanted, but Calleigh wasn't sure if what they had could still be saved.

Still, she knew one thing. She knew there'd be no changing Eric's mind, and it would only make things worse for her to try. So instead, she nodded, taking a step closer to him. "Eric, I--"

He interrupted her. "Calleigh, please don't ask me not to do this. Please don't tell me to sit down and think about this rationally. Don't try to change my mind." He ran a hand through his hair, slightly frustrated. "I've already had that argument once today."

Calleigh bit her lip, dropping her gaze to the floor. "I wasn't going to try to change your mind," she said softly. "I was only going to ask you to be careful. I wasn't going to question you."

Eric looked away in embarrassment. "Sorry," he muttered.

Calleigh shrugged. "It's okay."

Eric nodded. "Thank you for understanding."

Calleigh chuckled slightly. "I never said I understood this; I just said I wasn't going to question it." She touched his arm gently. "Lord knows I've done some things that I doubt you've understood; I know because I didn't understand them myself," she said, tucking her hair behind her ears. "But you've never questioned anything I've done." She shrugged. "Just returning the favor, I guess."

"Thanks," Eric replied quietly, giving her a small smile.

Calleigh couldn't help but smile back. Eric himself may have changed, but the effect he had on Calleigh was still the same. She pulled her hand from his arm, suddenly realizing their closeness. Instinct told her to back away a few steps, but Calleigh couldn't make herself move. "So," she started, looking down at the ground, "when do you leave?"

Eric sighed. "Tomorrow morning. The plane's supposed to leave at nine."

Calleigh looked up, her eyes widening. "Nine in the morning?" She looked around to the clock on the wall. "It's already midnight, Eric. You probably need to get home. I'm sorry I kept you so late," she apologized. "I didn't mean--"

Eric let out a small laugh. He reached out, gently placing his fingers over her lips, silencing her. He said her name softly, and Calleigh found her eyes locked with his, unable to look away. "I was the one who came over here," he reminded her with a smile. "If I thought I needed to get home, I would have gone." He shrugged, never breaking eye contact. "It just so happens I had somewhere more important to be than home. But you're right," he added with a sigh, "I probably do need to be on my way." He removed his fingers from her lips, but before he dropped his hand back to his side, he reached out further, gently caressing her cheek.

Calleigh nodded, then closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around him and burying her head against his chest. Slightly taken aback, Eric hesitated a moment before he embraced her in return. He mumbled her name, breathing in the scent of her shampoo. Closing his eyes, he rested his chin atop her head, now wanting less and less to go home, to leave the country in the morning, to leave Calleigh.

Calleigh sighed, not wanting to let go. "Promise me you'll be careful, okay?" Eric tensed; though it was slight, it was still enough to make Calleigh lift her head and give him a concerned look. "Eric?"

"Don't make me promise that, Calleigh." Calleigh opened her mouth, but Eric shook his head. "I don't know what's going to happen in Brazil. I don't know what or who I'll run into. I don't want to promise you anything if there's even the slightest chance that I might break that promise," he finished quietly.

Calleigh tried to look away from the intensity of his gaze, but Eric placed his thumb under her chin, tilting her head back upward. Calleigh fidgeted slightly, swallowing. In the span of a few moments, the situation had changed. Eric was now calm and collected, and his nervousness from earlier had shifted to Calleigh. "Okay," she whispered, letting out a breath. "Will you at least promise me that you'll come home?"

His hand still under her chin, Eric gave her a searching look. His response was unspoken; surprising both of them, he leaned into her and kissed her softly, finally giving in to that temptation that had haunted him for so many years now. He had meant it to be soft, quick; but he couldn't help but deepen the kiss when he felt Calleigh respond. She willingly opened her mouth to him with a soft moan, her hands coming to rest at the back of his head, pulling him closer to her. Eric found his hands skimming along her waist and hips before gently tugging at the tie of her robe. He broke the kiss, pulling back slightly and looking deep into her eyes as he pulled the tie loose, sliding his hands beneath the fabric of her robe, feeling her shiver as he did so. "You're not stopping me," he breathed, giving her one last chance to reconsider.

Calleigh gazed up at him, smiling as she tried to catch her breath. "I'm not," she whispered as she pulled him back down to her.

Without breaking the kiss, she led him to her bedroom. The final barriers between them were soon removed, and she pulled him onto the bed before surrendering completely to him. He made love to her slowly, both of them feeling as several years of pent-up emotions were finally allowed to surface. Afterward, he was content just to lie there with her, watching her and occasionally running his fingers through her hair. Eventually, she shifted onto her side, gazing back at Eric intently. There was a sparkle in her eyes that had been missing for a long time, and Eric couldn't help but feel a bit smug at being the one to put it back.

Letting out a breath, Calleigh propped herself up with her elbow, grinning down at Eric. "You, uh, wanna tell me where this came from all of a sudden?" she asked with a tiny laugh. Though she was smiling brightly, Eric gazed at her, hesitating for a moment before giving her a completely serious answer.

"You asked me to promise that I'd come home."

Calleigh's smile faded slightly due to confusion. "What?"

Eric chuckled. "There's no way to make this long story short, so I may as well just give you the whole thing. This," he began, gesturing lightly between them, "was nothing sudden. This has been here for years. You and I both know that. It may have grown and faded again every now and then, but it's always been here." He sighed, trying to sort his thoughts so that they made sense. "In the past year or so, everything I did was for Marisol. To protect her, take care of her; everything I did was for her. Everything else in my life has suffered because of that. You and everybody else at CSI noticed that. I noticed it too, but being there for my sister meant more than that." He closed his eyes for a moment, biting at his lip. "Then she died, and suddenly, I had nothing left in Miami. My relationships and my job had suffered to the point that it really wouldn't make any difference whether or not I stuck with them. I could go to Brazil and put my all into avenging my sister's death, and it wouldn't have mattered if I died or ended up in prison, just as long as I got the job done. I didn't have anything to bring me back here anyway."

Calleigh listened intently, reaching for his hand and lacing her fingers with his as he continued.

"I came here tonight to tell you goodbye. Originally I wasn't planning on saying anything to you at all, but I couldn't do that to you." He laughed softly. "I guess I should have known it, but the simple goodbye I'd planned wasn't so simple at all. And then you asked me to promise that I'd come home. I'd almost swear you were reading my mind there." He smiled, reaching out and brushing a knuckle over her cheek. "You already asked me to make one promise I wasn't sure I could keep, so I wanted to keep this one. Maybe it was a little selfish on my part, but, uh, I knew the only way I could keep that promise was if I knew that I had something to come home to." He hesitated for a moment, wondering if perhaps he'd gone too deep. He knew dealing with emotions wasn't Calleigh's favorite thing, and he really didn't want her to turn and run from him again. Not now. "Will you be that something?" he asked tentatively.

Calleigh simply looked at him in silence. After a moment, she leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to his lips. "I'll be here," she whispered as she broke the kiss. Eric nodded, a broad grin appearing on his face. With considerably higher spirits, he brought his lips back to hers. He'd just begun to deepen the kiss when Calleigh abruptly pulled back, unable to stifle a large yawn. "Oh my God, I'm sorry," she apologized with a laugh, noting the strange look Eric was giving her.

"Tired?" he asked, chuckling.

Calleigh smiled sheepishly. "Well, I was getting ready to go to bed when you showed up at my door, you know," she replied.

"Yeah, sorry about that," he said, lying back down. "Come here."

"Don't be," Calleigh replied with another yawn as she settled herself in Eric's arms. She closed her eyes and immediately felt sleep try to claim her. "Don't leave in the morning without waking me up," she murmured.

"I wouldn't dream of it, Calleigh," he replied, tenderly pressing a kiss to the top of her head. Watching her as she fell asleep in his arms, Eric realized that now he did have a reason to be careful; a reason to want to come home. But although he'd found the solution to his original problem, another issue was quickly rising in its place.

Eric had no idea how he would ever be able to leave her in the morning.


End file.
